Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Murray Rothbard - Right Wing Populism
Murray Rothbard - Right Wing Populism
Murray Rothbard - Right Wing Populism
6 January 1992
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So why wasn't the Establish-
ment willing to forgive and
forget when a right-wing radi-
cal like David Duke stopped
advocating violence, took off
note: TV pundits, who regularly
have face lifts twice a year,
bitterly attacking Duke for his
alleged face lift. And nobody
laughed!)
priestcraft or State Church
constituted the opinion-mold-
ers who apologized for that
rule. Now, in a more secular
age, we have technocrats,
the Klan robes, and started 'social scientists," and media
working within the system? If it What Is Right-Wing intellectuals, who apologize for
was OK to be a Commie, or a Populism? the State system and staff the
Weatherman, or whatever in The basic right-wing ranks of its bureaucracy.
your wild youth, why isn't it OK populist insight is that we live Libertarians have often
to have been a Klansman? Or in a statist country and a statist seen the problem plainly, but
to put it more precisely, if it world dominated by a ruling as strategists for social change
was OK for the revered Justice elite, consisting of a coalition they have badly missed the
Hugo Black, or for the lion of of Big Government, Big Busi- boat. In what we might call
the Senate, Robert Byrd, to ness, and various influential 'the Hayek model," they have
have been a Klansman, why special interest groups. More called for spreading correct
not David Duke? The answer is specifically, the old America of ideas, and thereby converting
obvious: Black and Byrd be- individual liberty, private prop- the intellectual elites to liberty,
came members of the liberal erty, and minimal government beginning with top philoso-
elite, of the Establishment, has been replaced by a coali- phers and then slowly trickling
whereas Duke continued to be tion of politicians and bureau- on down through the decades
a right-wing populist, and crats allied with, and even to converting journalists and
therefore anti-Establishment, dominated by, powerful corpo- other media opinion-molders.
this time even more dangerous rate and Old Money financial And of course, ideas are the
because 'within the system." elites (e.g. the Rockefellers, the key, and spreading correct
It is fascinating that there Trilateralists); and the New doctrine is a necessary part of
was nothing in Duke's current Class of technocrats and intel- any libertarian strategy. It
program or campaign that could lectuals, including Ivy League might be said that the process
not also be embraced by paleo- academics and media elites, takes too long, but a long-
conservatives or paleo-liber- who constitute the opinion- range strategy is important,
tarians: lower taxes, disman- molding class in society. In and contrasts to the tragic fu-
tling the bureaucracy, slashing short, we are ruled by an up- tility of official conservatism
the welfare system, attacking dated, twentieth-century coali- which is interested only in the
affirmative action and racial tion of Throne and Altar, ex- lessor-of-two-evils for the cur-
set-asides, calling for equal cept that this Throne is various rent election and therefore
rights for all Americans, in- big business groups, and the loses in the medium, let alone
cluding whites: what's wrong Altar is secular, statist intellec- the long, run. But the real error
with any of that? And of course tuals, although mixed in with is not so much the emphasis
the mighty anti-Duke coalition the secularists is a judicious on the long run, but on ignor-
did not choose to oppose Duke infusion of Social Gospel, ing the fundamental fact that
on any of these issues. Indeed, mainstream Christians. The the problem is not jusf W e / -
even the most leftist of his op- ruling class in the State has lectual error. The problem is
ponents grudgingly admitted always needed intellectuals to that the intellectual elites
that he had a point. Instead, apologize for their rule and to benefit from the current sys-
the Establishment concen- sucker the masses into sub- tem; in a crucial sense, they
trated on the very 'negative servience, Le., into paying the are part of the ruling class.
campaigning" that they profess taxes and going along with The process of Hayekian con-
to abhor (especially when di- State rule. In the old days, in version assumes that every-
rected against them). (Ironic most societies, a form of one, or at least all intellectu-
I
January1992 7
als, are interested solely in ping the mask off elites is and paleos is ZI strategy of
the truth, and that economic 'negative campaigning" at its "right-wing populism," that is:
self-interest never gets in the finest and most fundamental. to expose and denounce this
way. Anyone at all acquainted This two-pronged strat- unholy alliance, and to call for
with intellectuals or academ- egy is (a) to build up a cadre getting this preppie-
ics should be disabused of this of our own libertarians, mini- underclass-liberal media alli-
notion, and fast. Any libertar- mal-government opinion- ance off the backs of the rest
ian strategy must recognize moliders, based on correct of us: the middle and working
that intellectuals and opinion- ideas; and (b) to tap the classes.
molders are part of the fun- masses directly, to short-cir-
damental problem, not just cuil the dominant media and A Right-Whig Populist
because of error, but because intellectual elites, to rouse the Program
their own self-interest is tied masses of people against the A right-wing populist
into the ruling system. elites that are looting them, program, then, must concen-
Why then did Commu- and confusing them, and op- trate on dismantling the cru-
nism implode? Because in the pressing them, both socially cial existing areas of State and
end the system was working and economically. But this elite rule, and on liberating
so badly that even the str4ategymust fuse the abstract the average American from the
nomenklatura got fed up and and the concrete; it must not most flagrant and oppressive
threw in the towel. The Marx- simply attack elites in the ab- features of that rule. In short:
ists have correctly pointed out stract, but must focus specifi- 1. Slash taxes - All
that a social system collapses cally on the existing statist taxes, sales, business, prop-
when the ruling class becomes system, on those who right erty, etc., but especially the
demoralized and loses its will now constitute the ruling most oppressive politically
to power; manifest failure of cli~sses. and personally: the income
the Communist system Libertarians have long tax. We must work toward re-
brought about that demoral- been puzzled about whom, peal of the income tax and
ization. But doing nothing, or about which groups, to reach abolition of tho IRS.
relying only on educating the out to. The simple answer: 2. Slash welfare. Get rid
elites in correct ideas, will everyone, is not enough, be- of underclass rule by abolish-
mean that our own statist cause to be relevant politi- ing the welfare system, or,
system will not end until our cally, we must concentrate short of abollition, severely
entire society, like that of the strategically on those groups cutting and restrict it.
Soviet Union, has been re- who are most oppressed and 3. Abolish racial or
duced to rubble. Surely, we who also have the most social group privileges. Abolish af-
must not sit still for that. A leverage. firmative action, set aside ra-
strategy for liberty must be far The reality of the current cial quotas, etc., and point out
more active and aggressive. system is that it constitutes that the root of such quotas is
Hence the importance, an unholy alliance of "corpo- the entire 'civil rights" struc-
for libertarians or for minimal rate liberal" Big Business and ture, which tramples on the
government conservatives, of media elites, who, through big property rights of every
having a one-two punch in government, have privileged American.
their armor: not simply of and caused to rise up a para- 4. Taks Back the
spreading correct ideas, but Eiitic Underclass, who, among Streets: Crush Criminals. And
also of exposing the corrupt !hem all, are looting and op- by this I mean, of course, not
ruling elites and how they pressing the bulkof the middle 'while collar criminals" or 'in-
benefit from the existing sys- ;and working classes in side traders" but violent street
tem, more specifically how America. Therefore, the criminals-robbers, muggers,
they are ripping us off. Rip- 'proper strategy of libertarians rapists, murderers. Cops must
8 January1992
~ ~~
)e unleashed, and allowed to ental control. In the long run, heir paleo or traditionalist or
administer instant punish- his means ending public ither partners in a populist
ment, subject of course to li- chools, and replacing them :oalition, For example, on
ability when they are in error. ~y private schools. But we amily values, take such vexed
5. Take Back the nust realize that voucher and ,roblems as pornography,
Streets: Get Rid of the Bums. wen tax credit schemes are wostitution, or abortion. Here,
Again: unleash the cops to lot, despite Milton Friedman, iro-legalization and pro-
clear the streets of bums and ransitional demands on the :hoice libertarians should be
vagrants. Where will they go? lath to privatized education; willing to compromise on a
Who cares? Hopefully, they nstead, they will make matters jecentralist stance; that is, to
will disappear, that is, move vorse by fastening govern- md the tyranny of the federal
from the ranks of the petted nent control more totally upon :ourts, and to leave these
and cosseted bum class to the he private schools. Within the Iroblems up to states and
ranks of the productive mem- Iublic school system, the only jetter yet, localities and
bers of society. ;ound alternative is decen- ieighborhoods, that is, to
6. Abolish the Fed; At- ralization, and back to local, 'community standards."
tack the Banksters. Money and :ommunity neighborhood
banking are recondite issues. :ontrol of the schools. Alternative Libertarian
But the realities can be made Further: We must reject Strategies
vivid: the Fed is an organized mce and for all the Modal A. Corridors of Power
cartel of banksters, who are Abertarian view that all gov- There are two alter-
creating inflation, ripping off xnment-operated resources native strategies to the fore-
the public, destroying the nust be cesspools. We must going for the libertarian
savings of the average Ameri- :ry, short of ultimate movement. One is the Koch-
can. The hundreds of billions xivatization, to operate gov- Crane strategy, the strategy
of taxpayer handouts to S&L xnment facilities in a manner of the Cat0 Institute, Citizens
banksters will be chicken-feed nost conducive to a business, for a Sound Economy, et al. It
compared to the coming col- 3r to neighborhood control. is the antipode of a right-wing
lapse of the commercial But that means: that the pub- populist strategy: it is the
banks. lic schools must allow prayer, strategy of cozying up to the
7. America First. A key and we must abandon the Corridors of Power, of lobby-
point, and not meant to be absurd leit-atheist interpreta- ing and influencing the top
seventh i n priority. The tion of the First Amendment elites, of nudging them gently
American economy is not only that "establishment of religion" onto a more libertarian path.
in recession; it is stagnating. means not allowing prayer in It is clear that this strategy,
The average family is worse public schools, or a creche in pursued by Koch, et al. since
off now than it was two de- a schoolyard or a public the early 1980s, is precisely
cades ago. Come home square at Christmas. We must the analog of the strategy pur-
America. Stop supporting return to common sense, and sued by Official Washington
bums abroad. Stop all foreign original intent, in constitutional conservatism during this same
aid, which is aid to banksters interpretation. era, and starting also at the
and their bonds and their ex- So far: every one of these beginning of the Reagan ad-
port industries. Stop right-wing populist programs ministration. As in the case of
gloabaloney, and let's solve is totally consistent with a Official Conservatism, the
our problems at home. hard-core libertarian position. strategy has been successful
8. Defend Family Val- But all real-world politics is in terms of acquiring respect-
ues. Which means, get the coalition politics, and there are ability, official contacts, jobs
State out of the family, and other areas where libertarians in Washington, and in gen-
replace State control by pa- might well compromise with eral, pleasant associations
January1992 9
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and perhaps even contracts power to the State and its the existing system of State
with Power. But it has been elites. But Fabian libertarians capitalism. These upper-
spectacularly unsuccessful in or limited-government con- middle-class yuppies are the
achieving any significant gains s13rvativeswould be pushing weakest possible reed for any
for libertarian principle. On the principles that are very much libertarian, or any limited gov-
contrary: all that this Corridor a!gainstthe grain of the ruling ernment, strategy.
of Power strategy has accom- elites: and hence the Fabian Of cour,se, the Koch-
plished is to defang both the success story in British so- Crane types often choose this
conservative and the libertar- cialism is irrelevant to today. path not just for strategic
ian movement, and to make To the contrary, the likelihood reasons, but because they
them lapdogs of Power. The is precisely what did happen: themselves lean toward
marginal influence of libertar- that would-be Fabian, gradu- cultural and social leftism: to-
ians has been to find some ahst, and respectable, con- ward egalitarianism, and
technical ways to make the servatives and toward a liber-
workings of the State a bit libertarians, will tine lifestyle.
more efficient, or a bit less find themselves Hence, they are
inefficient. And that hurts coopted, and get hardly the sort
rather than helps the cause of Fabianized in the to lead the
liberty. wrong direction. charge .against
The more thoughtful ad- The much- the cultural and
vocates of this path have heralded Koch- social decay
called it the Fabian strategy. Crane strategy of which agitates
Look, they have said, the appealing to 'fis- the American
Fabian Society was brilliantly cally conserva- public almost
successful at a gradual, re- tive, socially as much as
spectable approach. Instead liberal" yuppies more directly
of being militant and con- is part and par- political issues,
fronting the State, as the radi- cel of the same while their left-
cal Marxists would do, the misguided and ist egalitar-
Fabians insinuated them- disastrous strat- ianism inclines
selves into Power and nudged egy. Upper-mid- them to support
it along, gradually and inexo- dle class yuppie the 'anti-dis-
rably, into collectivism. Isn't suburbanites crimination"
this similarly a surer path for may be lots of fun at cocktail laws that trample on the rights
conservatives or libertarians? parties, but they are precisely of private property.
Well, the path may be more the wrong class for a libertar-
comfortable and certainly ian strategy to covet. For, of B. The Libertarian Party
more lucrative personally for all the groups and classes in The other alternative
the right-wing Fabians. But the society, they are most com- strategic route for libertarians
Fabian strategy overlooks a fortable and the least dis- is to separate thiemselves out
crucial point. Apart from the gruntled, the least likely to from the mainstream, and to
fact that the radical Marxists nurse a deep grievance form and develop a self-con-
were right in regarding against the State. And even if, scious movement, functioning
Fabianism as a sellout of over a couple of martinis, they as a combination of philo-
Marxist principle, the Fabians should tell the Catoites: 'Yes, sophic debating society and
were only gently nudging the we really agree with you on social club. This is precisely
State in a direction where it most issues," they are least what libertarians did in the
was happily willing and eager IikeEy to do anything about it, 1970s, except in the guise of
to go: advancing even more to rock the boat and oppose a political party.
LO January1992
- Different strategies are lution within the old form. At
required by different social that point, in despair by the
conditions, and a key point we end of the 195Os, those of us
should acknowledge is that, resisting this trend felt it im-
by forming a separate sect, perative to separate ourselves
LP caught on, its political
campaigns succeeded, by the
time of the well-financed 1980
campaign, to educate the
media and politically inter-
the Libertarian Party per- out from a Right-wing that had ested Americans on what
formed an important, neces- been captured from under us. 'libertarianism" is all about.
sary, and laudable function It became vital to separate the So that: by the early 1980%
during the 1970s. From the two sharply in our minds and most politically aware Ameri-
1930s through the first half of in the minds of the public, and cans could tell you what lib-
the 1950s, libertarians func- also to stop giving libertarian ertarianism was, and also,
tioned as an important ideo- and limited government cover while they did not necessarily
logical ginger group within the to a movement that had been agree with it, they treated lib-
broad coalition that we now transformed into virtually their ertarianism as a creed worthy
know as the 'Old," or Original, opposite. of respect and attention.
Right: a coalition forged in Finally, by the end of the All this was accom-
reaction against the horrors 1960s, a split i n Young plished by the Libertarian
of the New Deal, both domes- Americans for Freedom over Party, and nothing can take
tic and foreign. Libertarians the draft caused the growing those achievements away
felt themselves to be an 'ex- libertarian wing of YAF to be from it. But after the early
treme" and consistent wing of expelled or to get out volun- 1980s, as Kochian money
the Right, and they functioned tarily. That wing, now ready turned to a soft-core, Corridors
within the broader coalition for independent libertarian of Power strategy and left the
happily and harmoniously as political action, formed the LP, the Libertarian Party be-
friends and as ideological and Libertarian Party in 1971, and gan to become increasingly
political allies. Unfortunately, it quickly caught on as a means irrelevant. Even though most
that Old Right coalition, de- of providing an independent Americans had heard of liber-
voted to liberty, private prop- home for libertarians. At first, tarianism and even respected
erty, free markets, and an anti- the LP was dominated by a its doctrine, the Party wasn't
interventionist, America First neo-Randian, pro-war group, winning adherents, let alone
foreign policy, began to col- distinguishable from the Na- elections. More and more 'real
lapse during the late 1950s, tional Review right largely by world" people left the LP,
as death and retirement in favoring civil liberties. At the which therefore became in-
leadership ranks (84. Bob 1975 LP convention, however, creasingly flaky, increasingly
Taft, Colonel McCormick), left those of us who were dedi- libertine and culturally leftist,
a vacuum at the top that was cated 'isolationists" captured and above all, increasingly
filled by the burgeoning "New" the Party, and from then on, irrelevant. The Ron Paul
Right, headed by Bill Buckley the LP was able (1) to develop Presidential campaign of 1988
and National Review. That libertarianism as a self-con- was a last, desperate attempt
New Right, while in early days scious creed separate and to transform the Libertarian
paying lip service to the forms distinct from Buckleyite con- Party into a real-world, 'real
of the Old Right, transformed servatism and a fortiori from people" organization, into a
it within a few years into a the increasingly statist, pro- party that middle-class and
global-crusading, war-mon- civil rights, and neo-con working-class people could
gering, and basically pro-state dominated Right of the late feel at home in. The effort was ,
movement. Unfortunately, 1970s and after; (2) the LP a noble one that failed; the
many libertarians were at that was able to educate its own numbers simply weren't there,
time sucked in to became ap- members and develop a prin- and when this failure became
pendages to this statist revo- cipled 'cadre," and (3), as the evident, the 'real world," or
January1992 11
- what might be called the
'proto-paleo," faction of the
party walked out, and what's
left of the LP is now spiraling
downward into oblivion.
n43w, revivified reincarnation
of the Grand Old Right of my
youth. Who says 'you can't go
home again?"
In my days in the Liber-
cus never went beyond a gal-
lant handful.
12 January 1992
~ ~~
the arrows that he drew of there was a sense of dyna- LP: 'Thank you . . . and
Soviet Communism encircling mism, of fearlessness, and of goodbye!" with the emphasis
the United States and putting open-endedness, as if, whom on the final word. For sensible
us in imminent peril. It was in would he subpoena next? The people and paleo-libertarians,
fact true: except for the minor- sainted Eleanor Roosevelt? the time has come to re-enter
ity of Communists and fellow- With Big Business, the the real world, and to help
travelers, everyone agreed on military, liberal intellectuals, forge a coalition that will cre-
McCarthy's basic world view. Rockefeller Republicans, the ate a successful right-wing
The problem was that media, all ranged against him, populist movement which will,
McCarthy, in his crusade, was McCarthy was finally brought by necessity, be in large part
a right-wing populist. He was low. He had almost no move- libertarian.
not content with attacking ment behind him; he had no To go over the heads of
Communist infiltrators in the political infrastructure. And the media and political elites,
abstract; he took the alleged Joe McCarthy was, unfortu- to reach the working and
danger seriously; and insisted nately, not suited for the new middle class directly, to
on naming names, in naming medium-television-that he spread the ideas of liberty and
and exposing these whom he had been using so effectively the knowledge of how they
considered the enemy. to reach the masses directly. have been oppressed, re-
The fascinating, the ex- He was a 'hot" person for a quires inspiring and charis-
citing, thing about Joe 'cool" medium; his jowls, and matic political leadership. It
McCarthy was precisely his his heavy beard, wrecked his requires, in addition to intel-
'means"-his right-wing standing with an image-bound lectual cadre, political leaders
populism: his willingness and public. And above all, by get- who will be knowledgeable,
ability to reach out, to short- ting the U.S. Senate-an in- courageous, dynamic, exciting
circuit the power elite: liber- stitution which McCarthy, not and effective in mobilizing and
als, centrists, the media, the a libertarian, loved and re- building a movement. It re-
intellectuals, the Pentagon, vered-to censure him, they quires leadership able to seize
Rockefeller Republicans, and broke Joe's heart, and he was the moment to act, leadership
reach out and whip up the finished from then on. with the moxie and the forti-
masses directly. And that, tude to surmount the slanders
above all, was what they What Is To Be Done? and smears that will inevitably
hated. And that's why they had Libertarians are now split be directed against it. It re-
to destroy him, why of all the into paleos and modals. The quires ideological and politi-
anti-Communists in the coun- Libertarian Party, now irrel- cal 'entrepreneurs" in the best
try, they had to make hisname evant and inexorably Modal- sense, leadership that is will-
a dictionary term dominated, is History. It is ing and able to forge a paleo
('McCarthyism") for political finished, over, kaput. It is coalition to split off heartland
evil. Centrist politics, elitist vanishing into the dustbin of and paleo-conservatives from
politics, is deliberately boring history. For those good people Official and neo-conserva-
and torpid. The people get put still devoted to, or trapped in, tives, to raise the banner and
to sleep, as a Bush faces a the LP, it is time to realize that to build a real-world movement
Dukakis, or, as it looked for a the LP has accomplished its in which, as in the days of the
while, Bush waltzes around historic task-to develop lib- Old Right, libertarianscan play
with a Clinton or a Kerrey. But ertarianism and to win public a valuable part.
right-wing populist politics is recognition of the doctrine- Some of my friends are
rousing, exciting, ideological, and its time is long over. To stressing a patient, local,
and that is precisely why the paraphrase Nathaniel grass-roots strategy. Grass-
elites don't like it: let sleeping Branden's farewell to Ayn roots activity is fine and nec-
dogs lie. With Joe McCarthy Rand, it is time to say to the essary. But what this idea ig-
January1992 13
~
nores is that gross-roots ac- weighty matters as taxes, the 1. A Saddam Replay.
tivity is, lets face it, inher- budget, interest rates, and civil Saddam is still there; every-
ently plodding and boring. And rights. Open internecine war- thing is in place; hes already
that therefore, it will never get fare has broken out over the been established Another
off the ground, unless it is universally hated John Hitler, indeed Worse Than
sparked, and vivified, and Sununu. Things are spinning Hitler. So you can send the
energized by high-level, pref- out of control. And the key bombs and missiles again
erably presidential, political election is coming up. What to easily. The media just go back
campaigns. What we need to do? What to do? into their accustomed act. Of
build a new paleo movement, Why, of course, George. course, there is a little hitch:
particularly at this stage, is a Lots face it: The time has cranking up an Operation
presidential candidate, some- come for ANOTHER WAR! Desert Storm, II: The Sequel,
one whom all wings of anti- War! You shine might remind ev-
Establishment rightists can there, George; eryone that the
get behind, with enthusiasm. you can get the first Glorious
And while Howard Phillips fl,ags a wavin, Victory was a bit
Taxpayers Party may eventu- and the missiles of a botch. How
ally play an important role, at a flyin. You can many sequels
this point we can simply say pick name Op- can you get
that the Taxpayer Party has erations and away with, with-
not yet been fully formed and dragoon the me- out looking fool-
that right now he has no presi- dia again. You ish?
dential candidate. The arena can refurbish 2. The Libyan
of action now is to find some- your civil rights Card. Ahh, Libya!
one to lead a peoples revolu- image with Gen- You have now
tion against the crumbling eral Colin Powell brought the Lib-
George Bush in the New at your side, yan hit men back
Hampshire and other Repub- you can bring into the public
lican presidential primaries- Stormin Norman consciousness,
and to take that fight on to the out of retirement indicting them
Republican convention, hop- to look satisfy- for that Pan
ing at most to win in 92, and ingly military on Am explosion in
at the least to build a powerful TV. You can be- Scotland. If ne-
movement for 96, and be- devil your en- cessary, you
yond. 0 emies, and send your poll can revive the scare about
ratings up to 90 percent again. the four bearded Libyan hit
Its Time for a So all you need is an Enemy, men who had penetrated the
and you can get another swift, United States to assassinate
War! massive, gook-destroying, President Reagan. Remem-
by M.N.R. feel-good-about-America vic- ber that one? Also, you have
Suddenly, everyone tory, maximizing the glow of already established Colonel
agrees that George Bush is glory for Election Day. So you Khadaffy as the previous
mired in deep doo-doo. Un- need an Enemy, another Stalin Hitler, and a nutty one at that.
happy and inattentive at best or preferably another Hitler, And it wouldnt take much to
about domestic affairs, he who seems able to provide a bomb Libya back to the Stone
finds the economy bogged suitable hate object and Age, since its pretty much
down in an increasingly grim punching bag for another there already. Of course, our
recession, and he waffles in century or so. So lets go down bombers already did murder
abject confusion about such the list. the Colonels little baby, so
14 January1992